Connecticut Woman Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Citizenship After Committing Torture and War Crimes in Bosnia

A woman who tortured prisoners of war spent over a decade living peacefully in West Virginia as a proud American citizen. The U.S. naturalization system gave her a passport, no questions asked — and it almost worked perfectly.

What Happened: How a War Criminal Committed Naturalization Fraud and Won — For 13 Years

Nada Radovan Tomanich, 53, a Bosnia-born resident of West Virginia, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for naturalization fraud. But let's be clear — this isn't some paperwork technicality. This is a woman who participated in brutal physical and psychological torture of civilian prisoners — Bosnian Serbs — during the armed conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s. She served in the elite Special Unit "Zulfikar" of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. What she and her fellow soldiers did to those prisoners meets the legal definition of war crimes under international law. Full stop.

In 2012, she applied for U.S. citizenship. On her naturalization application, she lied — flat out lied — claiming she had never served in a detention facility and had never been involved in holding other people against their will. She also concealed that she had committed a criminal offense: aggravated assault under the criminal code of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. Then, during her USCIS interview, she was placed under oath and lied again. Twice. Deliberately. And it worked — for thirteen years.

On November 10, 2025, Tomanich pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful procurement of citizenship. The investigation involved the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security's Human Rights and War Crimes Center, USCIS's Fraud Detection and National Security division, and the FBI's International Human Rights Unit. Authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals all participated. It took the entire weight of international law enforcement to catch one woman who lied on a form.

Who Will Suffer and What They're Not Telling You About This Scandal

Let's say what everyone is thinking but no one in official Washington will admit: the system failed catastrophically. USCIS handed an American passport to someone whose hands were stained with the blood of innocent civilians. And this isn't some isolated anomaly — it's simply one case that got caught. How many others are out there right now, living quietly with spotless documents? Nobody will give you that number. Nobody.

Here's who actually pays the price for this failure — and it isn't the bureaucrats who signed off on her application. It's honest, law-abiding immigrants. The ones who wait in line for years. The ones who pay immigration lawyers they can barely afford. The ones who lose sleep the night before every USCIS interview because they're terrified of making a single mistake on a single form. Those people are about to face a tidal wave of new scrutiny, tighter procedures, and more invasive background checks — because the system that missed a war criminal for thirteen years needs to look like it's doing something now.

And then there are the real victims — the surviving Bosnian Serbs and their families who suffered under Tomanich and people like her. They spent over a decade learning, piece by piece, that their tormentor was living comfortably in America. That's not a legal technicality. That's a betrayal of everything this country claims to stand for.

Real Consequences for Immigrants in the USA: The Rules Just Changed

This conviction is a signal flare, and if you're an immigrant in the United States, you need to understand what it means. Naturalization fraud is now a top federal priority. The FBI, USCIS, and DHS are actively coordinating with foreign governments and international tribunals — meaning background checks are now genuinely global in scope. Your records aren't just being checked against American databases anymore. They're being cross-referenced with archives in other countries, and that capability is only going to expand.

Here is the fact that should make your blood run cold: there is effectively no statute of limitations for naturalization fraud. Tomanich got her citizenship in 2012. She's going to federal prison in 2025. Thirteen years of quiet American life offered her zero protection. Zero. If you have ever given inaccurate information on a USCIS application — even something that seemed minor, even something you thought no one would ever check — that exposure doesn't disappear. It waits.

Federal authorities are also openly encouraging the public to report violations. The FBI tip line, ICE's online reporting form, USCIS's fraud complaint system — these tools exist, they are actively promoted, and people are using them. The atmosphere inside immigrant communities is shifting in ways that should concern anyone who has something to hide — and should reassure everyone who doesn't.

What To Do Right Now — Don't Wait Until You're Called

1. Audit your documents and sworn statements immediately. If there is any inaccuracy — even a minor one — in your naturalization application or anything you said under oath at a USCIS interview, consult an immigration attorney right now. Not next month. Not when you get a letter. Now.
2. Report what you know. FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Homeland Security Investigations: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423). USCIS fraud reporting: available directly at uscis.gov. If you have information about someone who lied to obtain citizenship, especially someone with a violent past — say something.
3. Watch for USCIS policy changes and prepare ahead of time. After high-profile cases like this one, the agency consistently tightens its procedures — new questions, new documentation requirements, deeper background investigations. Don't be caught off guard when your next renewal or application lands in front of a stricter reviewer. Know what's coming before it arrives.

A system that couldn't find a war criminal living in West Virginia for thirteen years is now operating in overdrive — and it isn't going to be careful about who it catches next. The question isn't whether more cases like this will surface. It's how many. This story is not over. The consequences will reach every person in this country who once held a foreign passport, and you need to be watching closely when they do.

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